Red Smiles
by Suji94
Summary: CassxJason fanfic Sequel to "Bat Bullseye." This Joker captures the couple, and they'll only have a few minutes until the bomb goes off. (Yes, I suck at summaries... But I rely a lot on cliffhangers.) I don't own DC or any of their characters. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_Thank you very much! R&R please!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters, but I seriously doubt anyone else on this website does either._

Chapter 1

The lights flickered on, making her eyes squint shut, feeling as if someone was pulling needles out of them. She didn't have control of her head when she tried to look around, so it bobbed off to the side. She saw that her hands were behind her back and she could feel something heavy holding them together. When she looked she realized that she was leaning against a pole with her arms wrapped around it.

"Who is there?" She heard herself ask.

"Oh! It looks like the Little Batgirl is awake." His sentence was followed by a long chilling laughter. Cass knew that voice.

"Joker."

…

**(Earlier)**

"I know you're still seeing him." Bruce's cowl was pulled back, but Cass didn't think that it made him less intimidating. But she had to stand firm – it was for _him._

Cass was in her apartment when Bruce swung in with his signature scowl on his face. She was finishing putting on her gloves when she turned to look at him. "So."

"I'll suspend you from patrols," he threatened. She dared to ignore him even though her stomach felt like it dropped into a pit.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "he is alone."

"He's a criminal." Bruce retorted back.

"Don't care." She fit the mask on her head and put her boot on the windowsill. "He will change."

"I don't have to read body language to know that was a lie, Cassandra."

"He wants to know you see him. Wants you to let him come back."

"That won't happen."

"That is why he fights." She shook her head at his silence and fired out a line. She knew Bruce would be angry. Babs still didn't approve, but she kept her thoughts to herself knowing Cass wouldn't listen. Cass didn't care. Jason accepted her. She accepted Jason. Of course, Cass didn't like the fact that he killed, but he was trying to hold back. Right now it was like his smoking, meaning he'd do it when she wasn't around, but she was trying to make him see that he didn't have to.

Sometimes she would watch him fight without him noticing that she was there. His blows were angry, but not as angry as before. He was angry at the people he was fighting now, not at himself. With every movement she could see that his thoughts were disgust with the people he hammered his fists into.

Cass launched herself onto a building. Watching the headlights of cars trickle passed as the night grew old. She had stopped three muggers, four rapists, two robberies, and two gang fights. "Batgirl." Babs called through the com-link, so she waited for her to say the next location. Instead she heard a sigh. "Batman is not happy, you know – even for Batman." Cass kept silent. She didn't want to hear any more, but she knew Bruce asked Babs to talk to her. "I know you like him, but you have to see that -"

"You like D – Nightwing. No difference." Cass held her breath and leaned forward when she saw a couple walk by with their hands interlocked. The woman looked up at the man with a smile. Cass could read that she trusted the man. And he trusted her.

"Jason is dangerous. He's taken lives – dozens of them."

"I took. But you still accepted." Cass's jaw tightened, she had feeling she was going to be here for a while. She sat down and swung her legs over the ledge with her hand propping her head. Her eyes followed the couple until they turned a corner.

"That's different. You feel remorse. _He_ doesn't."

"No. Like Huntress. He is like Huntress now." She could hear Babs sigh again, but she quickly flipped herself up on her feet and into a stance after hearing footsteps behind her.

Jason walked towards her, and an instant smile came on her face. Her finger turned the com-link off before Babs could finish her sentence, "Batgirl relationships -"

She hugged him tightly. "Miss me?" He asked and she nodded letting go. "Good, because I -" he trailed off and rubbed his neck. She couldn't see the embarrassment on his face, because of the hood, but she imagined it'd be just as red. She never thought that a man like Jason could feel embarrassment over her, but it made her happy all the same.

Her eyes trailed down to his gloved knuckles. They were damp, but there were streaks of blood in them like they had been scrubbed. She didn't want to ask so she pulled off her cowl, while he took off his helmet. She planted a kiss on his cheek, then noticed a cut on his shoulder. It wasn't deep, but it bled through his jacket. Her hand touched it, and his eyebrows wrinkled together as he followed it, wondering what she was doing. "What happened?"

"Didn't even notice it was there." Jason shrugged and waved her hand away, but she was already grabbing a thin strip of bandages. "Come on, it's not that big of a deal."

"I know." He rolled his eyes behind his mask and took off his jacket, knowing that arguing against her was pointless. She concentrated on wrapping it around delicately with her fingers. "It reminds me."

He smiled knowing exactly what she was talking about, remembering how badly hurt he was that night. And how she slept next to him sharing her heat until he was better. He remembered the quiet sound of her breathing, and how soothing it really was. He wished that every night could be like that, but he knew it would be too dangerous for her if he saw her too often. Even though he knew she could dodge bullets, he didn't want to take any chances.

"Something wrong?" She asked, when she was finished putting the bandages back in a compartment in her utility belt.

"I was just thinking about how great you are."

"Liar." She pushed on his chest as she pulled her mask back on.

"You're right, I think about that all the time." He grinned slyly, pulling his arms through the sleeves of his jacket, as he watched her shake her head with a smile forming through the mask. She pointed her finger out off to the side of her. "Right, back to business." He put on his hood. She fired a line and he followed after her.

Cass dropped in a crouch in the alleyway. Making sure her foot avoided the crushed can near the dumpster so she didn't make noise. Her eyes followed the man walk down the alleyway with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his torn trench coat. His choice of fashion wasn't what caught her attention, it was the way he moved. At first she thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, but now that she was up close she knew something was off about him. The man had his shoulders hunched over, but his footsteps were loud, then soft when his full foot fell onto the asphalt. He was pretending to be homeless, but she didn't know why.

Her eyes darted off to the side, seeing Jason asking with his body why she was following the man. Her head tilted out towards him then back at the man. Jason knew what that meant. _Just shut up and follow._ Slightly annoyed, he watched her trail closer to the man in the trench coat. Her focus was so intent, it was as if she was a different person. He knew that to her, she was. She was Batgirl right now.

Cass pressed herself against the wall, forming into the darker shadow. The man walked and trailed his fingers on the edge of the brick, until he stopped. His hand caught on a handle and pushed open the door.

Jason's eyes sharpened. It was the side door to an old two story building he knew had outdated factory machines in the basement and first floor. It was supposed to be torn down, because it was deemed unsafe, but there was a risk of damaging the other buildings around it, so the city never tore it down. He didn't think a homeless man would want to risk living in a building like that. Before the door shut, Cass snaked in, and so did he.

Cass's lenses switched to night vision, but the man had disappeared. Massive machines were dusty and closed, meaning no one had used them since the building had been abandoned. A hand gripped on her arm. She turned seeing Jason pointing at narrow stairs leading to the basement. She nodded and followed him to the bottom step.

Jason's hand was about to push on the cracked door, when a light switched on.

"Hiya, Puddin'!" Harley Quinn's voice echoed excitedly through the door. Cass could see Jason's muscles tighten. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"Quiet Harls." Joker's voice rang with annoyance.

"Did you manage to kill the bat while you were away?" She asked sweetly.

"Oh you know the answer to that." Joker spat his anger at Harley, but Cass could almost feel her knees giving as if he was talking to her. She had never seen the Joker before. Only in pictures and the feeds Bruce let her watch. She remembered seeing the Joker's movements, but they were hard to decode. He was unpredictable and that's what scared her.

Her eyes studied Jason, and his free fist was clenched around his hand gun. The one she had a hold of was squeezing tightly until her fingers felt like they were going to disconnect from her hand. He was ready to fight. But she squeezed tighter and pulled him back a little more. She shook her head when his whipped around to look at her.

Jason didn't calculate that he'd find him this quickly and with Cassandra with him. The Joker was so close – he _had _to make him pay. But she was right there, holding onto his arm like that was the only piece of him that was left. She tugged harder, as his teeth were grinding together until he tasted dust. _He's right there._

Cass didn't want to be here. She didn't want to see Jason lose control. Joker was dangerous, and too hard to read. She didn't want to risk seeing Jason get hurt, because she knew she didn't have Bruce's intelligence and reading the Joker was unreliable. She shook her head more frantically this time and pulled him back up the steps, but he pulled back, until they let go staring each other down through their masks.

The lights turned on. And Cass's eyes widened with her heart beating so fast she thought it stopped. "Well, well this _is_ interesting, isn't it? A bat and a dead bird."


	2. Chapter 2

_Reviews go a long way! Thank you very much!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters._

Chapter 2

Bruce rubbed his eyes and took a breath. He knew Cassandra didn't like talking, but at least he tried. He wasn't going to let her get too close to Jason. Jason always tested him, and Bruce didn't want to find out if Cassandra was just one of his "tests."

"Master Bruce?" He began typing again and scrolled down through the files on his screen.

"What is it Alfred?"

"I presume Miss Cassandra will not be training with you tomorrow morning like you had planned, correct, sir?" Alfred pulled out a rag and dusted off the side of his computer subconsciously. Bruce just cleared his throat and continued typing. Alfred's footsteps led away, but stopped, and Bruce didn't have to look at him to know where he was.

Alfred was in front of Jason's Robin costume, thinking to himself. Bruce let out a deep breath and turned to look at it alongside him, but from a distance, still sitting in his chair. He closed his eyes remembering holding Jason in his arms, looking down at his bloodied face and mangled body. Everyone had told him it wasn't his fault, but even then he couldn't help but think what he could have - _should _have done.

"Pardon my saying so, Master Bruce," he paused as if to wait for his approval, "but although Miss Cassandra lacks proper English, she has the full capacity to make the correct decisions you have taught her to make." Alfred continued walking away. As soon as he left the cave, Bruce sighed and turned his chair around to continue finishing his report.

"Oracle," Bruce pressed into his ear, "I need you to talk to Cassandra."

"About Jason?" She asked already knowing the question to his answer. "Alright. What about Tim?"

"He's still busy working for me at Arkham." Bruce tightened his gloves and started walking towards the Batmobile.

"I still think you shouldn't have let him go alone." He could hear her sigh through the com-link.

"I'm not worried about him right now." Bruce lifted himself up, and plopped into the driver's seat. "I think she needs to talk to _you_. I have to go meet Gordon."

This time Bab's sigh was more of hiss, "fine."

…

Joker stood on the railing behind him with his signature smile. Jason's gun was out and he pulled the trigger, but Cass moved his arm up leaving the bullet clear above him. Joker laughed as if it was a game. _But then again, everything's a game for him_. He reminded himself.

Cass let go and jumped after Joker, but Harley Quinn flipped in the air and landed in front of her. Harley bowed, "Sorry to cut in." Joker was above watching the fight as men came running in.

"How -" Cass tried to say.

"Oh you know secret doors, security cameras. The usual." Harley winked then kicked high at her. "I've gotta hand it to ya, you know how to fight." Cass smiled, blocking a punch. Harley was easy to read. She had a rhythm in her movements asking to be noticed. Everything she did was for the Joker, as if she couldn't breathe without him. Cass almost knew what that was like. Almost. But she wouldn't do everything for Jason. She wouldn't let him kill, especially not now. He could change, just like she did.

Cass threw a punch that landed right in Harley's jawline. She sprang back onto her feet now with annoyance and frustration dilating in her pupils. Harley cut the air with a low sweeping kick, but Cass jumped and extended her legs, wrapping Harley's head in her knees and flipping her over. She heard her gasp as the air retracted from her lungs, and her fingers pull at Cass's legs, then fall.

More men poured from the doors, and Cass's attention was on them now, and Jason. His hands and feet were thrashing angrily at every one of them that surrounded him. She saw the Jason that she first met. "Kids these days, I was expecting the other bird, but I guess you'll do," Joker mumbled as he shook his head with laughter.

Cass wanted to keep her eyes on Joker, but he was running away through a door. Jason broke away from the men that blocked him and pulled out his gun shooting. But Joker was long gone, so he picked up his pace and started running after him. And around her, there were too many men for her to evade. She had to take care of them. Three came from behind with knives and another from the front with a chain while the others stood in a ring waiting for their turn. She smirked knowing she was going to give them what they asked for.

…

Jason's feet smacked against the floor as he chased after the Joker. He lifted his hands trying to get a clear shot, but Joker was around the corner before he could fire, his laughter echoing after him. More machines and darkness was in this room, but Joker's signature funhouse garb made Jason even more frustrated. She stopped him. Cass stopped him twice.

"Seeing you brings back old memories, Bird Boy." Joker's voice echoed. Jason's felt his hands curl over his handguns tighter, until his knuckles turned white. "Oooo I know! How about we make this one like last time – an explosion." Joker's laugh bounced off the walls, as Jason turned in the middle of the room. Trying to pinpoint where he was. "Although I didn't think you come along with one of the bats… But I think the old saying _the more the merrier_ makes sense now, don't you agree?"

"Leave her out of this. I'm after _you_." Jason walked behind a giant clowns head and shifted his eyes around searching for him.

"Oh a bit of a soft spot for her, huh?" He chuckled, "Unfortunately she's wearing that costume. I can't help but have a bit of a bone to pick." Colored lights and out of tune circus music turned on, making Jason whip around to face it. But he saw nothing. "Come to think of it, she looked like she had something for you too. Am I right?" Jason kept silent, as he swallowed. "I hope she doesn't turn out like your mother. That would be just – bone crushing."

The giant clown's head lit up with the same out of tune music, and in his pure anger, Jason shot at it, until the music stopped playing and the lights flashed off with the rising smoke.

"Temper, temper. Women don't like that you know." Jason turned again, hearing the voice echo directly behind him, but again, there was nothing.

A scream pelted Jason's eardrums from down the hallway, and his eyes widened. "Cass!"

…

One after another, they fell, but she started breathing hard. Cass had a pile of maybe dozens of guys, but there were more and more seeping into the room. She didn't understand how there could be so many people that went unnoticed in the building. She blinked around watching the men rock back and forward in their steps. They were waiting for something.

She felt a spike of pain shoot through her back, and her muscles tightened as she screamed. Her lenses turned to static for a moment until she could see again. And the com-link was ringing in her ear even though it had been shut off. She almost wished she had called for back-up. Dick was almost always in Blüdhaven, but Tim was like her blood brother – Tim would have come. She couldn't think clearly, and she couldn't even tell if her legs were attached to her body anymore, but she could feel herself fall. Her body felt weak. "Well, imagine that. Mr. J's new deluxe Joy Buzzer works like a charm." Cass blinked, realizing that Harley was conscious again when she thought she'd be out for hours. Cass started moving her arms, trying to lift herself up back onto her feet, but the electricity shot through her shoulder, and her own scream filled the room leaving her limp and on the ground. "Uh ah, Little Bat. Now lights out." Cass could see Harley's foot rear back. It rocketed towards her face, and she saw dancing colored fireflies then darkness.

…

Jason ran. He shouldn't have left her like that, but he was so angry he just had to – _No. No excuses. She was just trying to help. Like she always does._ He shook his head trying to get to the door, but something as big as a grand piano fell to the ground. He barely had any time to get out of its way. "Oh what are you going to do now?" Joker asked through a laugh. Another scream came out from the hallway behind the broken object. "Seems like Harls is using the new Joy Buzzer. And from the sound of it, we've got a _happy_ customer."

Jason's teeth gritted feeling an animalistic growl come from his throat. He couldn't blow a hole through a wall, or the entire building could come down. And he didn't want to risk that if Cass was still inside. He felt helpless. Just like the night he died. "Let her go."

"Now why would I do that? I'm sure the old Bat would _love_ to see what I'll do." As Jason moved, Joker's voice became clearer, so he followed it.

"What are you planning?"

"Well, aren't you a kill joy? If I told you it would spoil the fun." It was even clearer this time. Jason looked behind and over things until, he realized it was right in front of him. A cell phone. Joker had been long gone, and Jason was standing in the room having a conversation with him. His hands were shaking when he picked it up. "Well I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got things to do, people to kill. But maybe I should - show you the door."

Colored lights flashed along the bottom of the wall, blinking in a sequence towards an office door. His hand hovered near the knob. There was no way he could trust Joker, but he had Cass. It firmly gripped over the door knob and turned as he cautiously stepped through.


	3. Chapter 3

_First of all, thank you very much for your reviews because it helps me write this story. If you guys give a suggestion, I probably will consider looking at it. And sorry this one is a bit short… _

_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters (not even in my dreams, sadly.) But Enjoy._

Chapter 3

In the middle of the small room there was a black screened monitor. And at first Jason was about to leave, but the door slammed behind him like an old horror film. He glared down at the phone, waiting for a snide remark to come from the Joker, but there was silence. When he turned around and tried to open the door again, it was firmly locked. He didn't think he could pick the lock. Joker was too smart for that.

The screen flickered on. He watched as two of Joker's larger men dragged a body in black. The emblem was small on the screen but he could see it. He couldn't even tell if she was breathing, but he watched.

Jason's muscles were trembling, and his breathing was shaken as he moved closer to the screen. "You know what's great about TV, kid?" His laugh filled the phone, "Stunt doubles," Joker's voice fell to a lower tone, "you can't even tell which one is real. But you've already figured that out." He knew that he was talking about his chase with the Joker. "See, while you were busy meeting my new friends, I decided to make a switch. Pretty clever, right? Although, I didn't plan on you two…" He trailed off, and sighed, "I still plan on having my fun."

Cass on the screen was propped up against a concrete supporting beam of the building, facing the camera. He couldn't tell if it was still the same building he was in, but it was definitely a different room. Harley Quinn stepped to the camera blocking his view from seeing Cass and she blew a kiss with a wink directed at him, then stepped back again.

"You know, even _I _think it's funny," Joker said breaking the silence, "To think you hated Batman." He laughed, "but you're _going steady_ with his new side-kick." Jason could almost see Joker put up quotes. "But then again, maybe you're just evil enough to break – her – heart."

Jason's eyes were fixated on Cass, until a pair of long black shoes entered at the corner of the screen lined with purple pants. They stepped forward, and Jason's eyes looked directly at his mocking face. He could see the phone in his bleached white hand when he waved with a smile. Jason jammed his fist into the brick wall next to him feeling the warmth of pain spread through his knuckles.

"Maybe I'll break yours first." Joker's mouth moved fitting the exact words in the phone as he held his hand out. Jason felt time beating in his ears, remembering the blows he felt on his own body, as it slowly landed in his hand. Joker waved the crowbar in his fingers. "Remember this?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi again! Thanks very much! Please tell me what you think, what I could do differently and all that fun stuff in reviews! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters. _

_Have fun!_

Chapter 4

Harley was holding onto the Joker and fixing the flower in his breast pocket. Both were smiling down at her, but Cass could see that they were hiding something. Shock shook her body; _where's Jason?_

"Where – where is he?"

"What ? Hoodie? He skipped out." Joker set something down on the table he was leaning on, and pushed Harley off of him.

"You're – you're lying." She was trying to put on a brave front, but her voice cracked.

"Didn't think he'd leave, did ya? Face it; he's a bad seed at heart." Harley twirled her finger around one of the points of her jester's cap. "Of course, there's nothing wrong with the crime life, right Mr. J?" Joker's eyes shifted from his happy gleam to annoyance, as he held his hand out behind him telling her to stop talking.

"You're little bad boy decided you weren't worth it." Joker's smile appeared again, as Cass's chest ached. She shook her head and looked at the Joker's body language. Cass knew that words lied, and didn't understand why she believed him of all people. But then again, reading the Joker was like reading words.

"You're lying." Cass said more firmly. The Joker's smile faltered for a second, then he leaned forward in her face.

"Talk about creepy; your mask takes the cake." His fingers waved at Harley and she shifted her weight back onto her feet. "Why don't we take it off?" Cass could see something thin passed along into his hand. He stood straighter, making sure she could see that he was holding a crowbar.

Cass swallowed watching it twirl in between his fingers. She remembered Tim telling her that Jason was beat up by the Joker, then killed alongside his mother before Bruce could save him. Her heart started beating faster, and the adrenaline kicked in; Joker was planning on killing her.

Her hands started moving behind her back, until her wrists felt raw. Joker's fingers clasped over towards the end of the crowbar, and he swung.

At first she didn't feel anything. But pin pricks shifted over the spot where the crowbar landed, then warmth that ached and burned crawled on her skin. She took a breath. Cain had hit her. He had hit her with a lot of things. His fists, bats, and Cass knew this crowbar was no different. But she couldn't stop her throat at every blow. Her body knew what pain was, even though she had spent her entire life ignoring it. But those few minutes of that crowbar slamming against her, felt like an eternity.

She watched the grin on Joker's face spark after the first three hits, then it started retracting, like he was losing his interest. She clenched her teeth together, watching blood – her blood splatter onto the white tile. Reminding her of the time when she was wearing some jeans and a red t-shirt lying back on the roof of her apartment, and how Jason had surprised her by lying next to her pointing out the clouds farthest from the sun saying they looked like different objects. He told her it was a game younger kids played even though he never did, that's why she didn't understand the point of it. Still, it was nice hearing him talk; pretending that they could be normal for once.

Her right eye was beginning to swell, and it was hard to see, but she blinked. The bottom half of her mask was a rag hanging around her jawline. She was breathing hard through her mouth feeling the effects of cracked and broken ribs every time she inhaled. A trickle of blood spilled over and down her chin, onto the emblem on her chest. She watched Joker run his fingers through his hair and look down at her with sweat sliding down the side of his face, and handing the bloody crowbar to Harley, whose expression was hard to read. Cass could tell Harley didn't even know what to think, but she took hold of the crowbar then set it down on the table behind her like it was a foreign object.

Cass didn't move, numb and aching all at the same time, except her good eye was focused on the Joker. She was still trying to read him, but it was like he wasn't thinking, and just acting on impulse. He frowned, "Maybe it's just me, but this wasn't as fun as I remembered." His head tilted up off to the side as if he was looking at something and he was smiling. She craned her head trailing his line of sight. It was a something black and angular, but her vision was so unclear she couldn't see it. She huffed and tried to sit straighter.

"He won't come. Batman - won't come." She said weakly. Joker's head whipped around and his smile nearly split his face in two.

"Of course he will. Well, whether or not you're still breathing is another story, my dear." He shifted his feet and put his hands on his knees, lowering his eyes to meet hers. "Sorry I won't stay to hear the punch line." He stood up and looked back at Harley. "Harls, we're leavin'."

"R – right away, Mr. J." Harley followed the Joker after setting something else down on the table, but Cass didn't pay attention. Her mind was growing foggy and her lungs were growing desperate for air. She didn't want to think about dying again, but her thoughts wandered in circles, and she imagined seeing Stephanie. She smiled thinking about how they could joke about whose father was the worst, like old times. Cass bit her lip.

But Bruce was her father now. And Barbara was her mother. She blinked away the blood dripping into her eyes and thought about Tim and Dick. They were her brothers. She didn't know how Tim was going to handle another death, when he was so close to Steph when she died. Cass moved her feet, as she tried slipping her hands from the handcuffs, feeling her skin rub away and burn.

And Jason. He died like she's about to. She wondered if maybe she could learn what he really felt instead of reading it and really understand him. But she then again, she wondered if she really wanted to come back if she did die.

She hoped that he left, just like Joker said, hoping that maybe she misread him, and Jason really did escape. Her hands stopped moving and she let out a deep aching breath, knowing she was running out of time. When she swallowed and it was like sand cutting her throat. "Jason - leave." But her eyes were focused watching the timer with wires messily flowing out of it sitting on the table. One minute and fifty-three seconds were left.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello! Please give suggestions and tell me what you like and don't like in reviews or even PM me! (Because it does help me write more. Hint hint.) Thanks again for reading!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters… (no matter how much I really want to.) _

_As always – Have fun!_

Chapter 5

"Bruce." Oracle had used his name, his jaw tightened, trying to remember how many times he told her to call him Batman on the com-link in case someone else was listening.

"I'm busy." He used his tweezers to pick up a fiber on the asphalt and slip it into a small vial. The lights flashed behind him casting his multicolored shadow on the wall.

"Batgirl's com-link activated for a second then went dead." Bruce's finger pressed into his ear, trying to see if what she just said was real. "What if it's Jason? I saw through the feed that she was with him, before she cut me off." He could hear the worry in her breathing.

"And you didn't tell me about this?" Bruce's voice resonated into a low tone.

Oracle ignored him, "I'm trying to pinpoint her location, but – nothing."

"I have a tracker." Bruce snapped the vial into a compartment on his belt.

"How'd you manage that?"

"It's me we're talking about. It didn't take long for me to get an idea on why Cassandra started spending more time by herself."

"Right." Bruce could hear her fingers typing away on her keyboard, as he lowered himself into the Batmobile.

"I'm sending her signal now." The miniature screen in the middle part of the dashboard flashed red, then expanded to a map of Gotham with a red dot pulsating.

"Got it."

"Try rebooting the communications system." Bruce shifted into Drive, following the dot on the screen.

"Ok but I don't see -"

"I installed a remote function." He answered her question before she had time to think about it.

"Well you've been busy. Alright, I'm on it… And Ent -" Bruce heard Oracle sentence cut short and the quiet roar of the Batmobile's engine, then static. Broken laughter and more static filled the com. Bruce could feel his stomach tighten when Oracle gasped. "It's -"

"I know. Keep listening." His finger released the pressure on his ear and could feel his chest restrict. He was holding his breath.

"… won't sta…. punch line." Joker chuckled, and a then a sound came from the static. It was like a sigh.

"Jason – leave."

"That means he's still with her." Oracle cut in, her fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard.

"We don't know that for sure, but if Joker's involved, I know Jason will find any chance to get to him."

"I'm contacting Robin. You'll need back up."

"No. I'm doing this alone," he barked.

"But Bru -"

"He has both of them, Barbara. I'm not willing to risk another life unless it's mine." Bruce stopped paying attention to the road thinking about how heavy Jason's body was after he recovered him from the debris. He didn't want to ever see that again, so he shook his head and took a breath.

Cassandra… He could tell that she was having trouble talking, but it was physical this time, not her usual mental struggle with words. His foot slammed against the gas pedal and his hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"Alright, but keep your feed and your com-link on. And – be careful."

"Understood." He quickly turned sharp corners, and weaved passed civilian cars like they were in stand-still motion. _I can't let that happen again. _

…

His knuckles were bleeding through his gloves and onto the cracked bricks in the wall. Jason felt his muscles twitch hearing the sound of every blow from the device on the ground. He tried not to look at the screen, so he closed his eyes feeling the saliva collect in his mouth and his stomach threatening to jump into his throat.

"Stop, please – stop." But there was no answer from the other side. Joker had muted him, so he could only hear what he was watching. His legs felt boneless, as he dropped to his knees, tearing off the hood and throwing it to the side, then cradling his head in his hands.

His eyes rose to look at Cass when he put his hands on his knees, but Joker stepped back blocking his view from seeing her face. "Maybe it's just me, but this wasn't as fun as I remembered." Jason looked down at his trembling knuckles when he felt something crawl down to his fingers in the glove of his right hand. He was holding his fist so tight it was an iron ball. Joker looked back at the camera with his smile taking up half of the screen. _He __**will**__ die._

Jason stood up, bashing his shoulder against the door. _There's still time! If I can just – get to her… _He could feel the door jamming his shoulder into his torso, but he didn't care. All that mattered was making sure he found her. Desperation and rage replace the air in his lungs.

Jason huffed, pulling away from the barely dented door, knowing it would not open. Something was blocking it from the other side, he could see it when he narrowed his vision through the crack of the door. He felt like the room was getting smaller.

His back pressed against the wall, and he bumped the back of his head against it. _She wanted to leave as soon as she knew who it was. But because you wanted to stay she's –_ He broke his thoughts away and slammed the back of his head harder this time. _ You're an idiot, Jason._ His hand pressed on his shoulder. He knew he had dislocated it. _You're such an idiot._

Jason clamped his eyes shut until not even the light from the screen could fit its way through his lids. _She must be just as scared as I was…_ He could almost smell the iron in his own blood, and the sulfur from the explosives of that night. _Think!_ Again, he slammed his head against the wall with his brows wrinkled together feeling his head become lighter.

A few coughs blared out of the speaker of the phone and he turned to look down at it, cupping the device in his hands then watching the screen. "Cass! I'm here! Cass!" Silence was a reply to the echo of his voice, and she wasn't moving. "… Cass." _It's five seconds all over again…_


	6. Chapter 6

_Shout out to jasontodd666! You always leave the nicest comments ha ha. _

_Thanks again for reading! Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters._

Chapter 6

Her eyes were closed now, but she could still hear the tick of the numbers dialing down on the clock attached to the bomb. She could feel her mind slipping, watching the blackness turn to a memory.

_She was watching Bruce pull back his cowl at his computer, reading the heaviness on his shoulders. He looked up at her with a blank expression. "What is it?" Cass could only shake her head, because words back then were more foreign. He nodded, with his eyes studying hers. His body was asking her questions. But she couldn't answer them. When his feet started moving, she realized he wanted her to follow him._

_ He pulled off his cape, his belt, and his gloves, setting them on the table of the training room. She watched him bend his knees, and put his fists up with him mouth pressed in a thin line. _Your move.

_ She smiled with happiness filling in the light of her eyes while she took her stance. _Your mistake.

Her lungs forced out a few coughs, making her whole body ache. She looked up at the clock; one minute and thirty seconds. Time seemed to be passing by slower now. After all, every millisecond counted. Her head rested against the concrete beam as she felt her eyes grow heavy.

…

He ran his fingers along the bricks as he wondered how much time they had left. His eyes wandered as aimlessly as his thoughts until they stopped on a thin pipe flowing into the wall he was leaning against. Not thinking much of it he glanced back at the door, noticing the same thin white pipe close to the hinges it.

"A gas pipe." Jason kicked away his helmet and pulled out his gun and his knife. He quickly sawed through the end of the pipe that ended towards the ceiling and stuffed whatever he could find in the room. Most of the objects that he found consisted of large broken pieces of plastic. He needed the gas to build up as much as possible in order for the right kind of mini explosion he was looking for. Jason cut another hole at the bottom of the pipe and aimed the end of his barrel to fit, allowing him the angle that followed the flow of the pipe._ Please work. _His finger wrapped around the trigger and he fired.

Jason tried to look down at the gun in his hand, but it was gone, along with the metal door bending out like an open mouth. The smoke clouded his lungs, as he ducked his head hoping the explosion was as small as he had hoped, so the ceiling wouldn't come crashing down, but only small pieces fell around him. His entire left arm was burned and blackened, but he couldn't feel much considering the fact that it was the same side he had used to ram his shoulder into the door with. _Focus on Cass. This is nothing… _He was blowing air through his gritted teeth, trying not to think about his arm.

His eyes scanned the room. It was now lit up by the funhouse decorations and lights, so it was harder for them to adjust to the differences in darkness. _There had to have been a way for him to escape._

He pressed his fingers into the bridge of his nose and rubbed until he felt the pressure in his head subside. When he glanced over at the giant clown's head with bullet holes in it, a scowl nearly split his lips. It was mocking him. He reared his foot back and slammed it into one of the clown's teeth. His foot pushed through, so he staggered looking down at the hole he had made. He ripped his foot out and ducked down onto his hands and knees looking into it, then stood up again.

His heel backed into the teeth, until the clown's face was in serious need of visiting a dentist. Jason's head titled when he looked into the hollow head. A wooden door was at the back of it, along with the brick wall. _How could I have been so stupid? _He stepped through, flung the door open and started running down the dark hallway. His feet skidded against the cracked concrete floor. Two more hallways were going in opposite directions. He took a breath looking off to his left then to his right. On the end of the left hallway, there was more darkness. But on the end of the other, there was a light.

His knees buckled, while he braced his hand on the corner to push himself in the direction his stomach was leaning toward. He knew it was too late to turn back now; he was running out of time. With his eyes focused at the light, and his hand grabbing a hold of his damaged shoulder, he ran until he couldn't feel the ground on his feet; bursting through a door with a glass window.

…

Every pound of her heart matched the ticking of the clock, and no matter how much she wanted to, Cass couldn't open her eyes. The aches on her body were stronger, and she was fading back into more dreams, until the sound of glass breaking jolted her body.

At first she thought it was the explosion, but when she managed to open one eye enough she realized she was still in the room, just like she was before. She couldn't lift up her head, to look around, but the pace her heart was moving now was faster. Was it Bruce?

"… Cass."

"J – ason?" She muttered so quietly it was barely audible.

"I'm getting you out of here." She could smell burnt flesh and hair, and when Jason moved into her line of sight she could see his entire left arm was mangled and burned. Her eye switched to look at the time on the clock. Forty-three seconds.

"Not – not enough time." She felt his good hand pull her up, and felt her body spike with aches, and a groan coming from her mouth. He was shaking when he was fumbling with her hands behind her back. "My belt – he took -"

"I know." Jason said softly, but there was an aftertaste of anger following it. She looked back at the clock. Twenty-eight seconds. The sound of one of his guns slipping out of his holster made her eyes squeeze tight. "Don't move." The feeling of dry ice against her skin slammed into the back of her right hand when he fired. She bit her lip, feeling her arms moving back into her lap and a hand on her face. "Come on."

"No time." She felt his other hand curl underneath her knees, as he ignored her. He turned her towards the bomb. Seventeen seconds. Her head cupped close to his neck.

"I'm sorry." His voice vibrated his throat near her ear, and she clamped her eyes shut, slipping back into unconsciousness.

…

Bruce studied the dot on the screen, watching his marker fly towards it. He was so close. When he looked up, he shifted to turn a corner, and saw the street lined with buildings. Again, he glanced back down at the screen and then looked up identifying which one he was looking for. He slammed on the brake and let himself out, breathing heavy and impatient.

His boots were slapping against the hard pavement as he ran towards the old two story building.

Fire and debris cascaded the night air and rained around him. He pulled up his cape to block the heat that was escaping the building and looked at it, dropping to his knees. His shoulders were shaking and his eyes were wide behind the cowl looking at everything being consumed by flames. "No…"


	7. Chapter 7

_Hello! Another chapter filled with torture and fun! Yay! Ha ha. ;)_

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_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters._

_Have fun!_

Chapter 7

Jason looked down below him, squinting past the dust and smoke. He could almost feel all the bruises and cuts on her face. She was breathing, but they were short and quick breaths. He arched his back up, glancing behind him feeling the heat boil his skin. _We have to get out before the entire building comes down._ His arms clasped around Cass, lifting both of them up with his legs digging into the concrete floor.

The flames nipped at her feet, so he backed away still looking for an exit. The sound of wood creaking and the roar of fire caught his attention. A beam was going to drop from above him. He pressed Cass's face into his chest and rolled with his chin tucked in, back towards the flames he was dodging, watching the beam give and smash into the floor. _If we try to escape by opening a door, the fire will backlash and cause another explosion from the rush of air._

He could hear her coughing. His own throat wheezed every time he took a breath, and his head felt lighter._ And if we don't get killed by the fire, we'll be killed by the smoke. Come on, think!_ More groaning wood threatened to fall, so he moved quickly hunching his shoulders. His arms were slipping while he held Cass. She wasn't heavy, but fatigue was biting at his muscles, and the heat against his burnt side felt like his skin was peeling off. Jason pulled his jacket over to block her face and squinted into the red flames growing off of the beam that had just fallen.

A window was on the other side. His teeth curled over his bottom lip, glancing back down at Cass. Blood was dripping out of the corner of her mouth. He shook his head, and took a few steps back with a breath full of smokey air.

_We can make it._ He held a blink then studied the small opening filling with flames. _It's now or never, Jason._ His chest tightened when he pressed Cass against it, and pitted the ball of his foot onto the ground to spring off of it in a run.

When he was right in front of the fire, he jumped, compacting his body as much as possible, still making sure Cass wasn't crushed in the process. He could feel the heat wrap around his body as he twisted through.

The tip of his foot caught the end of the beam, and Jason felt his heart pause. The wood creaked, watching a large section of the ceiling fall in slow motion as he blinked. He lurched his arms forward, spilling Cass's body ahead of him. Pressure fell onto the back of his leg as he slammed against the hard ground.

He yelled pushing his forehead and grinding his closed fist against the floor, with his eyes squeezed shut. His head lifted up shakily, looking up at Cass. More than half of her face was showing out of her mask, and her black hair was covering her eye. Her back was against the wall, just below the unbroken window.

His leg was throbbing. _We're almost there. It's your fault she's in here in the first place, so get up! Dammit! _Jason blew air out of his mouth, trying to snake away from the piece crushing him, ripping his jeans from the knee down. It almost felt like his muscles were ripping along with the fabric. He knew that his right ankle being broken was more than likely.

His fingers dug into the cracks of the floor, looking ahead until he was free. Sparks were floating around him along with ash. When he reached her, he once again slipped his hands underneath her neck and her knees to lift her body again. But when he applied weight on his ankle, he staggered, and he had to use his bad shoulder to brace himself against the wall.

He looked out the window, then glanced down at his mangled foot. All he had to do was just get out that window and duck before the backlash could hit them, but it wasn't low enough for him to just crawl through; he had to jump. Gritting his teeth, Jason pushed off the ground with his back to the glass. It shattered around him and he rolled, protectively holding Cass as best as he could over the asphalt.

The rush of air pushed through the now broken window, then back out with fire seeping into the sky with an explosion. Jason had a smile filling with relief stretched across his face. "It's over," he sighed, "Cass, it's over." He looked down at her, then squinted at the absence of movement from her torso. When he pressed his ear against her chest, his heart fell into stomach. She wasn't breathing.


	8. Final Chapter

_Final chapter! Thanks everyone for reading and keeping up with this story! It was a blast writing it! Be sure to tell me what you like or don't like in reviews or even PM me!_

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_Disclaimer: I don't own DC or any of their characters._

Chapter 8

"No, no, no." Jason bent down, blowing air into her mouth. He tasted the iron in her blood. "Come on, Cass." He laced the back of his fingers together and pressed his palm right where her diaphragm was. "Come on."

"Move." Jason recognized that voice.

"Bruce?" His hands stopped pumping as he watched Bruce bend down, fingers touching Cass's sides.

"What's her pulse like?"

Jason blinked and grabbed her wrist, "it's barely there."

"Here. If her heart stops, inject this into it." Bruce handed him a syringe with a long extended needle.

"Adrenaline?" Jason stared down at the needle then noticed Bruce pulling out a medical kit from behind him. He quickly unwrapped the tubes to an emergency respirator and pressed the face piece to Cass, then flipped on the machine with his hand on her stomach.

Jason concentrated back down at Cass's wrist, feeling for her pulse, but the sound of a spurt of air escaping directed his attention back at her face. Fog filled the clear plastic mask when her chest emptied. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason could see Bruce's shoulders relax, then lift his head to look at him.

…

"Just like old times, right Alfred?" Jason leaned back as Alfred finished wrapping his ankle in a cast. He was quiet for a minute, then his head bobbed down.

"Indeed." Alfred stood up with the tray of medical supplies, and started walking away.

"Is she -" Jason asked before he could leave.

"Miss Cassandra is stable, and is resting in her room. Master Bruce also informed me that you have the option of staying in the Manor." Jason rubbed his now bandaged shoulder with a smirk.

"But I'll be under surveillance right?"

"Correct, sir." Alfred continued walking until Jason couldn't hear his footsteps any more. It had been a while since he was in the cave. After all that time, it still looked the same – except for the updated tech and the new glass cases filled with reminders of new villains. His eyes stopped at his old Robin costume, then he quickly shifted his gaze to the ground.

He held his breath thinking about what he told Bruce in the Batmobile earlier.

_"Saving a life is a lot harder than taking one." Jason held Cass tightly, looking down at her unmasked face. It was so battered and bloodied that it was almost unrecognizable. Bruce was silent, pretending to hold his attention on the road. "How did you find us?"_

_ "I put a tracker on Cassandra's utility belt buckle." Bruce's fingers gripped onto the steering wheel tighter._

_ "Then you must have thought we -"Jason stopped himself from finishing, when he heard a deep breath come out of Cass. When he looked back up at Bruce, he realized that his mouth was pressed into a thin line. He could tell he wasn't going to say anything to his comment. Jason watched the trees rapidly pass by for a while. "He hurt her – like he did to me. I watched him do it."_

Jason looked up at the picture on the computer screen, as he stood with a crutch under his arm. Joker was smiling at the camera, staring directly at him, and he could feel himself let out a shaken sigh. His hand around the crutch squeezed for a minute then he let go with his eyes wandering to where the Batmobile was normally parked.

He shifted is weight on the crutch, turning his back on the screen, and walked away. The lights not sensing any motion, turned off behind him as he shut the grandfather clock door. Bruce was after the Joker right now, and he knew it was his turn to make sure Cass would stay.


End file.
